Cult Book 'Faggots' Becomes Groundbreaking Musical

Larry Mitchell and Ned Asta's 1970s cult classic, "The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions," has found new life as a music theater piece, celebrating its North American premiere. This collaborative work by composer Philip Venables and director Ted Huffman captures the book's unique fusion of playful storytelling and radical politics.

The operatic ensemble piece embarks on an idiosyncratic journey toward the mainstream, decades after the book initially went out of print. Despite facing publishing hurdles, the book cultivated a mythical status within queer circles, kept alive through bootleg copies and its powerful narrative of marginalized people resisting capitalist patriarchy.

Venables's score draws from a rich tapestry of genres including baroque, jazz, bossa nova, and techno, reflecting the book's principles of fluidity and diverse identities. Fifteen performers bring the story to life, singing, dancing, and playing instruments, with staging that emphasizes cast improvisation and a spirit of abundance, mirroring the book's utopian vision.